During his three seasons with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHA, Jack Egers was a big-time scorer, especially during his final campaign in 1967-68 when he led the league by scoring 53 goals.

With his rights owned by the New York Rangers, he was dispatched to play for the Omaha Knights of the CHL the following year. In spite of a shoulder separation during his first campaign, he still managed to score 58 points in 59 games. In his second year, he was voted a league all-star on the strength of a 90-point season.

It was then time to join the Rangers at the NHL level. He entered the league with high expectations for success. His nickname was "Smokey," a reference to his ability to knock the sap out of the wood of his sticks with his rocket of a slapshot.

But his transition into the majors was not smooth. During a game against the North Stars, he let a shot go just over the blueline at goaltender Gilles Gilbert. Just as the puck took off, Stars' defenseman Fred Barrett hit him with a thunderous check that caused him to hit his head on the ice. The hard impact caused him to swallow his tongue, putting his life at risk. Swift medical attention averted disaster although Egers was sidelined with a concussion for some time.

Afterwards, he just never seemed to get his potential to fire on all of the right cylinders. He seemed to take just a tad too long to wind up for shots. He seemed to need a bit more weight on his lanky frame and he seemed to need just a little more hockey sense to pull it all together.

But long before any of those ingredients joined in harmony, the Rangers traded him to the St. Louis Blues for the coveted rookie Gene Carr. With the Blues, Egers was placed on a line with Mike Murphy and Garry Unger. The mix suited Egers just fine as he enjoyed the two most prolific campaigns of his career.

By 1973-74, he was traded back to the Rangers for a brief time before being passed along to the Washington Capitals. With the Caps, however, Egers was unable to surmount injuries that had pretty well brought his career to a standstill. Early in the 1975-76 campaign, he was dispatched to the minors where he eventually ended his career with the Brantford Alexanders senior club in 1977.

Traded to St. Louis by NY Rangers with Andre Dupont and Mike Murphy for Gene Carr, Jim Lorentz and Wayne Connelly, November 15, 1971. Traded to NY Rangers by St. Louis for Glen Sather and Rene Villemure, October 28, 1973. Claimed by Washington from NY Rangers in Expansion Draft, June 12, 1974.